Gender Equality Cambodia Project #3885

Lotus Pedals - Help Cambodian Girls Get to School!

by Lotus Outreach

Project Report | Jun 15, 2015
The road to education can be biked

By Alexandra Land | Executive Assistance

The Lotus Pedals program provides transportation to girl students who live in rural communities, often without public transportation near by. By providing these girl students with bicycles, it gives them the mobility to go to school, and gives them the independence of getting themselves there on their own. The $62 bike opens many doors for these girl students who would not have had the chance to go to school otherwise. Only 11% of Cambodian girls attend secondary school. Lotus Pedals is working to improve that disheartening statistic.

Cheng, a Cambodian 16 year-old girl, has benefited from the Lotus Pedals program immensely. She is in secondary school in the Phnom Kravanh district. Before Cheng received the Lotus Pedals bike, she commuted 3 kilometers a day to school and back. After completing her studies in grade school, she then transferred to a high school. Unfortunately her new high school was 7 kilometers away from her home which made the journey much more difficult.

Cheng’s family owned two old bikes that had to be shared with her two other sisters. Both Cheng and her sister study together at the same high school but are in different grades and have different schedules. They were forced to coordinate with each other, which often made both Cheng and her sister late and absent from their classes. On top of it all, the bike that they were sharing began to have many problems. With the difficulties of bike repairs and coordinating with her sister, Cheng began to fall behind in her education and felt she needed to drop out of her classes.

Once Cheng received her Lotus Pedals bike, she was delighted to have access to school again. Her attendance and timeliness at school since receiving the bike has been perfect, without missing a single day of class. She has shown improvement in her education, and doesn’t have to worry about sharing a bike with her sister, or having endless bike repairs.

Cheng says that she has goals to pursue her education and attend university with her friends. She then hopes to have a successful career. Overall, she wants both her and her sister to keep on perusing their education to eventually provide for their family and create a better life for them all.

The Cambodian Organization for Children and Development (COCD) enabled Chang to continue her education by gifting her this bicycle. Cheng would like to thank all of those involved and wish them success in all tasks.

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Mar 16, 2015
Pedaling A Brighter Future

By Thomas Waltcher | Interim Director

Nita at School

Nita is 14 years old and studies in the 6^th grade at Kdey Chas Primary School in Kdey Chas Village in the Chroy Chongva District of Phnom Penh City.

Nita is from a very difficult background. Since her birth she has never seen her parents. Nita’s mother gave her to her elder sister Davy and her brother-in-law Soeun to take care of her where she has grown up in extreme poverty. When Soeun died, Davy gave Nita to her son Eang Vadna, 32 years old and a motor taxi driver, and her daughter-in-law, 31 years old and a garment factory worker, who already had 2 children.

Living in a family of 5 members whose income came from running a motor taxi and factory work, their livelihood was very difficult, especially when it came to Nita’s education. She lacked study materials and the means of transportation to get to school, which resulted in frequent tardiness and low performance.

Thankfully, Nita was identified by Lotus Outreach’s local partner and granted a set of a Lotus Pedals; a new bicycle for safe transportation to and from school. In return, Nita exclaimed:

“After getting a bicycle from Lotus Pedals, I am extremely delighted, because I now have a bicycle to pedal to school like others. I no longer walk, and I arrive at school on time and regularly. I also have time to help with household chores. On top of that, I have become a member of Village Child Club gaining new knowledge and taking part in group activities to educate the villagers on special occasions such as International Children’s Day, the Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign, and the Children Forum, along with others.”

When asked about her future plan, Nita replied:

“My dream is to finish high school and look for a job while continuing to university, so that I can support myself and help to support this family to repay them for raising me like their own child without complaining regardless of all the difficulties they face.”

She added, “I would like to request to all parents to please not abandon their children no matter how poor they are. I am very disappointed that my parents abandoned me while other parents who are also poor struggle to raise all their children. I am lucky in a sense, anyway, that this family has mercy on me; otherwise, I don’t know what my life would be. I will study hard to turn this sad situation into a bright future.

I would like to pay gratitude to the program for the support. I wish everyone success and prosperity so you can continue to help other children!

Nita with her new bike

Links:

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Dec 15, 2014
Pedal for Education, Independence and Joy

By Thomas Waltcher | Interim Director

Dory receiving her bike with fellow students!

Lotus Pedals gives the gift of education to girls in deep poverty, where public transportation is often nonexistent. It gives these girl students a feeling of mobility and confidence as they pedal with speed down rural roads with friends to and from school. For just $62 a girl receives a new bicycle and a repair kit to ensure her education, and also a sense of independence seldom offered in such rural conditions. Support this movement!

Take Dory Seyva for example. Dory, 12 years old, lives in the Cambodian village Chub Pring within the Thmey commune located in the Kampong Rou district. She currently studies in grade 7 at Thmey secondary school and has 3 siblings. She is the oldest in her family along with two younger sisters. They all live in a small hourse without a latrine or nearby well. Her father, In Sam Ol, and her mother, Koem Savourn, work as laborers in a nearby farm to just barely make ends meet. As a result of such poverty, Dory often suffers from malnutrition and lacks the basic study materials needed to complete her studies.

Before Dory got a bicycle from Lotus Outreach through Lotus Pedals, she always relied on asking a friend for a lift to school. Quite often her friend was absent and thus, she had to frequently skip school. Her home is 6 kilometers away from school and her family could not afford to buy her a bicycle.

Lotus Outreach was able to sponsor Dory and purchase her a bicycle and repair kit. Dory said that she is extremely happy to have a bicycle like some of her other friends. She no longer has to worry about asking her friend for a lift to school. She can now attend school regularly and does not need to rely on anyone, but herself. Up till now, her bike is still completely new because she always looks after it and cleans it after each use whether it is a trip to school or a ride with friends.

In the future, Dory dreams to be a great teacher at the state school near her home village and she is committed to studying hard to reach this goal. Last but not least, she would like to thank Lotus Outreach very much for providing a great bike to her to allow her to study harder and pursue her dream. She promises that she will continue her studies and looks forward to graduating from high school!

Dory second from the left riding her new bike!

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